What Makes a Planting Fair? How We Empower Local Farmers at Every Step
When people think about tree planting, they often imagine just planting seedlings in the soil and the promise of greener landscapes. But at Planting on Demand, planting a tree is never just about the tree—it’s about the people, the process, and the long-term impact. That’s why we’ve built our entire model around a simple but powerful principle: fairness.
But what exactly does fair tree planting mean?
It starts with local leadership. Every tree we plant is done in close collaboration with local farmers and planting organizations—people who understand their environment better than anyone. They’re the ones selecting the right species, planning the best planting seasons, and ensuring that trees survive and thrive for years to come.
In Rubona Village, Uganda, for example, we recently partnered with DREAM International to plant 260 food-producing trees. But those trees weren’t chosen randomly. Local farmers helped decide what was needed most—mango, avocado, and jackfruit—based on what would bring the most nutrition and economic benefit to their communities.
It’s not a top-down initiative; it’s a partnership.
Fair planting also means sharing the benefits. The fruit from each tree we plant belongs to the farmer who grows it. That might sound simple, but it’s a radical shift from older models of reforestation where trees were planted with no long-term plan for local ownership or use. Our approach recognizes that environmental solutions are only sustainable if they’re socially sustainable too.
And of course, transparency is the key. At Planting on Demand, 90% of all contributions go directly to planting partners on the ground. That’s not a slogan—it’s the truth. Our planting sessions are livestreamed so anyone, anywhere in the world can see how their support is being used. It’s not just planting trees—it’s real-time, visible climate action.
Fairness is at the core of everything we do because we know that lasting environmental impact can’t exist without equity. A tree planted without community involvement is just a gesture. A tree planted with a community is a future.
If you’d like to see what this looks like in action, you can watch our most recent live planting session in Rubona here:
And if you’re ready to support fair, community-led reforestation, learn more or become a monthly sponsor here.